Freedom of movement amendment added by Edmonton city council to 15-minute city district plans

Edmonton city council voted to move forward on its district-planning policy Tuesday, while making a change intended to calm some of the concerns around 15-minute cities.

Confusion and frustration permeated public hearing sessions as councillors attempted to hash out the details of the new district-planning policy while addressing a wide range of concerns brought forward by members of the public. 

The policy and accompanying plans divide the city into 15 districts, replacing a patchwork of individual neighbourhood plans, some of which are decades old.

Council passed the district policy in a 10-2 vote Tuesday afternoon along with an amendment noting that the plans would not restrict the movement of Edmontonians. 

Many speakers during a series of public hearings opposed the district policy, citing 15-minute cities as part of a global agenda. The concept has been the subject of conspiracy theories in cities around the world, including misinformation that it's a form of government takeover.

In Edmonton's City Plan adopted in 2020, districts are a collection of neighbourhoods with the goal of meeting most residents' daily needs within a 15-minute walk, bike or transit trip from their home.

In Tuesday's debate, some council members addressed concerns about perceived restrictions on movement.

"It's disappointing that we're here today, that we even have to put this in this document," Coun. Erin Rutherford said. 

"Quite frankly, it shows an erosion of trust in our democracy as a whole, I think. And that's really sad."

Rutherford pointed to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as did Coun Ashley Salvador when they referred to existing protections of assembly, movement and expression. 

"My concern is that, if we're going to start including these types of things that are already enshrined and protected, what other things should we be looking at? I think that that's a reasonable question to ask yourself in this circumstance," Salvador said.

Coun. Aaron Paquette was one of several councillors who noted the importance of holding the public hearing to wade through misinformation and better inform the public on the city's vision for urban design. 

"We're coming out of a very tumultuous time, through COVID, through the actions that people experience, then through changes in how municipalities are building," Paquette said. 

"When you pair those things together, sometimes what happens is that a narrative comes out that there is a desire by local governments to restrict movement or to be part of some larger organization.